Cowboy Bebop: Life's An Improv
by Sincerity
Summary: Jet and Faye undertake the search for closure and their hunt turns up the unexpected...New and improved chapters! Chapter six is up! : Enjoy.
1. Don't Judge Me

Disclaimer: Cowboy Bebop is the creative genius and property of Shinichiro Watanabe and Bandai. Any similarity to other fics is purely coincidental.

You are reading " Cowboy Bebop: Life's An Improv" by Sincerity

**Chapter 1**

**Don't Judge Me**

Jet paused to take a swig from the beer bottle sitting beside his folding chair. He looked up at the setting sun, his feet resting on a shipping crate, a pensive expression on his face. " Hm. Never thought I'd miss his ugly mug so bad." He murmured to himself with a small, nostalgic smile. A photo rested on his lap." I should come out on the deck more often... fresh air feels good." With a sigh he tucked the photo in one of his pant pockets and placed a notepad on his lap, opening to a list. Some things were already scratched off while others had question marks.

" Hey, Jet?"

At the sudden mention of his name he startled.

Faye smirked, one delicate eyebrow quirking up as her green eyes sparkled with amusement. " Did I just startle you?"

" What do you need, Faye?" Jet replied a bit brusquely, choosing to ignore her " obnoxious" behavior.

Just wanted to let you know that I found that information on the morgue you asked about earlier." She said, her voice suddenly sounding tired and a bit bored.

" I thought you didn't want anything to do with that?" He replied, looking up at her. She was still dressed in her work uniform and the skirt fluttered prettily around her thighs as a breeze blew by.

" Well... it wasn't far from work." She explained, repositioning a small purse that hung on her shoulder and pulling her red sweater with her other hand. Jet noticed that she was actually wearing it correctly.

He sighed and took his feet down from their position on the shipment crate. It looked like quiet time was over. He glanced back up at the evening sky. ' Shame. The evening was look'n to be a good one too.' He thought.

" What's that?" Faye asked, cocking her head to the side and reaching for his open notepad. Jet quickly closed it, tucking it under his arm for good measure.

" Its none of your concern." He replied with an almost fatherly tone and picked up his folding chair.

Faye frowned, her mouth forming into a little pout as she snatched his beer.

" Careful, Faye. That's strong stuff."

She sniffed the opening and wrinkled her nose a moment before taking a swig herself. Jet shook his head and headed back inside.

" Fine, don't tell me." She called after him. " Its not like I really care what you're writing anyhow." Her voice was too soft for him to hear and after a moment she followed him inside, downing more beer and wincing at the taste.

" Its just that I thought you clipped your bonsai trees when you were nostalgic." Faye continued as they entered the common room.

Jet frowned, feeling a bit disturbed that she could read his moods so easily. " What? Do I have to keep myself cooped up indoors all the time?"

Faye shrugged and plopped onto the yellow couch. " Just never saw you enjoying the " outdoors" too often." She replied, finishing the beer and tossing the empty bottle behind the couch. With a bored sigh she searched in her purse for a pack of cigarettes and selected a slender stick with effortless daintiness.

" Ugh! I can't believe they make us wear these stupid outfits. People might think I were serving at some old-world diner or something."

Jet glanced at her. " I think it looks nice..." Faye looked up at him with an expression that said ' huh?'

" Well, I mean it looks neat and professional... orderly."

Faye rolled her eyes. " Whatever." She muttered around her cigarette.

Jet sat down at the computer and looked at her pointedly. " Alright. So tell me what you found out."

Faye sighed, releasing a puff of smoke and sat forward, resting an elbow on one knee. " Straight to business I see. No, ' how did your day go Faye?' or ' anything interesting happen today?'"

Jet ignored her, busying himself with opening files and sifting through the information they'd gathered during the past few weeks.

" Well... lets see..." Faye took in a long drag, her eyes slightly glazed over as she recalled her investigation. " I found out that they're currently going through a shift in personnel."

" A shift in personnel?"

" M-hm. Apparently folks who work there don't stay too long." Faye shrugged. " Anyways, I also learned that no one can get in the building without proper identification and no one can get in any rooms without being an employee or relative of a body. Of course relatives can only visit during visiting hours and that rules us out because we're working then."

Jet frowned. " But they've got to have visiting hours in the evenings, Faye. That's just expected... right?"

Faye shrugged again. " Maybe in other morgues. The guy I talked to said there were some safety issues that came up... whatever that means. So no visitors after six."

Jet rubbed his temples in frustration, the beginnings of a head-ache forming. " Alright. Then that means we'll have to go in disguised as morticians."

" _You_ can go in disguised as a mortician." Faye corrected.

Jet looked at her confused. " What do you mean?"

Faye leaned back on the couch. " I found the information you wanted. Don't ask me to go into another morgue. As far as I'm concerned Spike died because he didn't want us getting involved in his personal stuff."

" Faye, you're being ridiculous. Spike did what he thought was right."

Faye snorted. " Yeah, he just had our best interests at heart."

"_ That_ argument again. I thought we got past this, Faye." Jet stated with growing frustration. " I thought this was dealt and done with once we made plans to find him together. So what are you so hung up on now?"

" Spike was nothing but trouble!" Faye suddenly blurted. " He always did whatever he wanted without ever thinking about the consequences and it got him killed and got us stuck hunting for his corpse and wasting time and money on a lost cause!" She felt her face flush with anger and spat out her cigarette, stomping on it violently with her heel.

Jet blinked at her for a moment before regaining his composure and sitting up a bit straighter. " Now look, Faye. We both know that Spike wasn't the only one who did whatever he wanted. I recall you leaving us a few times without so much as a goodbye. At least Spike had the decency to do that."

Faye stared at him disbelievingly. " Wait-a-minute. You're comparing me to him? That... that lunkhead?!"

" I'm just saying how things really were."

" No you're not." Faye snapped and pointed an accusing finger at him. " You're wishing he were still here. You're wishing that you could have been fighting beside him. Its not me who's hung up, Jet. Its you! Finding his body is your way of trying to make things right."

Jet pinned her with a warning glare. " Now you're just trying to pick a fight."

" I'm not going on anymore wild-goose chases, Jet! I'm tired of running into dead ends with no answers and I hate that we're still ' hampered' by Spike's selfish, bull-headed stupidness!" Faye's voice was rising in pitch.

" He was a friend!" Jet shouted, anger and hurt evident in his eyes. " He watched our backs and helped bring in woolongs so we could eat! He saved your skinny ass on several occasions and he never talked bad about you like you're doing about him!"

" Oh boo-hoo, Jet! Poor Spike?! Poor us!! Look what's happened! We're working crappy jobs and we haven't been able to get off Mars because of him! I'm sick of it!! "

" Faye!"

" You act like Spike was some kind of hero but the truth is that he wasn't much different than Vicious! All those Red Dragon maniacs could think of was killing! And in the end that's all he really was... a cocky, smart-assed murderer !!" Faye knew how untrue the last statement was and even more aware of how deeply she had hurt Jet. But through her own anger and grief she couldn't care enough to apologize.

" That's it!" Jet boomed, rising to his feet. " Get your butt off my ship and don't come back!!"

" You have my Red Tail!"

" I'm keeping it! You can't afford to pay me back for all the work I've done!"

" That's not Fair! the Red tail's mine and I won't let you keep it!" Faye shrieked, rising to her feet, face red, hands fisted so tight her knuckles were going white.

" Oh yeah? And how are you gonna stop me?!" Jet hollered, blood vessels popping up across his temples.

Faye whipped out her gun and aimed for his bald head, right between the eyes.

There was a moment of tense silence, so charged that it almost seemed possible to ignite. But then Jet smirked.

" How are you gonna shoot me without any bullets, Faye?"

Her hands trembled and tears streamed down her face. " All you're gonna do going after him is get yourself killed. But maybe that's what you wanted all along." She said through clenched teeth and threw the gun at him.

Jet deflected with his metal hand as Faye grabbed her purse and turned for the exit. " Keep the Red Tail. I don't want it anymore. And enjoy life on the Bebop. Its as empty as your heart."

And without so much as a glance his way she walked out.

" I will!! Maybe now I'll finally get some peace and QUIET!!" He hollered after her a moment before hearing the main hatch open and slam shut.

* * *

" What do you mean every train is delayed?!" Faye hollered at the woman sitting behind the ticket counter.

" I'm sorry ma'am but there's nothing anyone can do!"

" But this is a train station! You're suppose to be on time!" Several people turned and looked at her with annoyance. In response she lowered her voice a little but her anger still flashed in her eyes. " Where's the main office? I want to talk to who's in charge!"

The woman released a weary sigh and pointed to a hallway at her right, rolling her eyes as she did.

Faye headed directly for the main office, stomping across the grand station hall and looking more like a disgruntled college student then a hardened, street-wise bounty hunter.

As she neared a door at the end of the hall with a sign labeled, " Main Office," she heard the end of a disgruntled conversation.

" - because some _idiot_ left their personal transportation craft too close to the tracks!"

As Faye entered she discovered that there was only one person in the office and he was having a conversation on the phone.

" No. The trains can't move until the aircraft is towed!... Fine. Do whatever has to be done." The man, bald and too heavy to be healthy, hung up the phone and looked at her impatiently.

" Can I help you?"

" Yeah." Faye replied, her anger barely checked. " You can tell me why all the trains are just sitting on the tracks."

The man, whom Faye figured to be the train station manager, sighed and shook his head. " Look lady, we're doing the best we can and I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. These offices are employees only." He stated, pointing to a sign on its own stand just inside the door. Faye glanced at it with a frown.

" Not until I know what's going on." She replied stubbornly, glancing at a woman who exited an office room and past the main office door.

" There's a mono craft sitting too close to the tracks and no train can get past." The manager replied in a clipped tone.

" Can't you just get a bunch of guys out there and push it aside?" Faye growled. Her ridiculous suggestion was ignored as a train engineer arrived brushed by her, and picked up the office phone.

" Any luck, Johnny?" The manager asked. The engineer shook his head a moment before speaking to someone on the other side of the line.

And in the brief conversation Faye overheard she suddenly recognized the description of the aircraft! The model, the color, the year...

The longer she listened the worse she felt. If what Spike did to her and Jet was wrong, then what she was doing to Jet was just as bad... maybe even worse. At least Spike had a mission, a goal to accomplish.

" This is stupid." She muttered to herself suddenly realizing that if she left the Bebop and went to another city she would have to find a place to stay. That would mean she would have to pay rent, and groceries, and make her own meals...

Faye frowned. " Ugh. I hate grocery shopping even more than this stupid outfit." And the more she thought about it the more she realized that Jet was actually pretty handy to have around.

The engineer was finishing his conversation on the phone and cupped the receiver end, turning to the manager to ask a question. Faye looked at them with a new glint in her eyes... she had made her decision.

" Hi, sorry." She waved, trying to get their attention. " I think we got off on the wrong foot." She continued, flashing the harried men her most fetching smile, " You see I think that aircraft-"

" Mono-racer." The manager interrupted impatiently.

" ... whatever," Faye replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, " I think it belongs to my husband. His 'momo-racer' was..." She paused a second to fabricate a plausible scenario. " Well... it was stolen a few nights ago."

She blinked at their angry faces trying her best to look completely believable. But when their expressions didn't change she quickly continued, words tumbling out of her mouth as if of their own volition. " We'll pay for any damages that removing the aircraft might cause, of course."

Faye gawked inwardly at such a rash decision, Jet would _kill_ her. But it was too late to take it back.

" Well you better get your husband to tow it ASAP, lady. Otherwise we'll have to move it ourselves and you guys will get slapped with the charges for the towing _and_ all the delays."

" You would charge us for all the delays? How's that fair when it isn't even our fault that the stupid aircraft ended up there?! I just said we'd be glad to pay for any damages done to the tracks but all the delay charges?!" Faye asked in barely checked rage.

" Look lady, just get the tow guys to take the mono-racer to their holding site and your husband can take it from there."

" Great." Faye muttered, taking the phone from the engineer. Jet was definitely going to kill her.


	2. Calling The Bluff

Disclaimer: Cowboy Bebop is the creative genius and property of Shinichiro Watanabe and Bandai. Any similarity to other fics is purely coincidental.

You are reading " Cowboy Bebop: Life's An Improv" by Sincerity

**Chapter 2**

**Calling The Bluff**

The sound of the metal door opening startled Jet. He looked up from his papers with an expression of surprise which quickly morphed into one of anger.

" Faye?!"

She calmy descended the stairs.

" After everything you said you've got some _nerve_ coming back here! What do you want now? Food? Hot water for another bath? The Bebop isn't a hotel you know!" At this he rose to his feet.

" I came to give you this." She answered, seemingly unbothered by his sudden tirade.

Without another word she handed him a small slip of paper which he angrily snatched away.

" What's this?" He growled.

" The location of the Sword Fish." She replied simply and moved to sit down on the couch.

The tension between them seemed to lessen considerably as Jet scanned the paper. Faye lit a cigarette while he headed for the stairs, his steps clanging in the silence left behind. She guessed he was going to map out the coordinates.

Releasing a puff of smoke Faye let her eyes fall onto the papers Jet had been working on when she returned. Apparently he had continued writing plans out. Faye picked up a page closest to her and scanned it curiously. Maybe deep down he knew she'd come back... or maybe he just didn't want to believe that she had finally left the Bebop.

" Hm."

The plans seemed decent enough. And as Faye picked up another page she allowed herself a small grin of satisfaction. Jet had included her suggestions after all.

" Ha!" Feeling smug and content she propped her boots up on the table... and froze. Spike had done the exact same thing. In fact, the couch had been his favorite spot.

Suddenly restless and uncomfortable she got up, laid the pages down, and meandered up the steps into the control deck. It was the only room in the whole ship that had windows. Having been outdoors more often had alerted Faye to the fact that the Bebop didn't allow much sunlight, or any outside light for that matter, to penetrate its rooms. It felt claustrophobic... and depressing.

And as she reached the deck her gaze rested on Jet who was busy finishing a conversation with someone on his communicator. Faye quietly walked past him and stepped over to the windows. The sky was beautiful... very blue. It was a welcomed change being that it had rained for most of the time they had been on Mars.

The only day that had been an exception was when the Red Dragons were finally taken down. It was irony at its cruelest. Spike hadn't returned. And in a way, Faye guessed that deep down she and Jet had been expecting that.

" Faye..."

Her head turned slightly, a signal that she was listening.

" I'm going."

She turned her attention back to the window as a long plume of smoke slipped past her parted lips. " So, I can stay?" She finally asked.

There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch out into a small eternity. And then, " Dinner's in the fridge. Eat if you get hungry before I'm back."

Relieved, she could only listen to his fading steps and remained at the window even after he had gone. But at length she released a bothered sigh and stepped back, dropping the cigarette stub on the floor and snuffing it out with the heel of her boot.

Sometimes life didn't make sense. Sometimes it felt surreal... almost like a dream. But not always a nice dream. At least, that's how life felt to Faye when she returned to the Bebop's common room. Without the noise of an obnoxious child, or the useless arguments between comrades, the entire ship felt cold and impersonal. And standing in the belly of silence, surrounded on all sides by unwanted memories, Faye felt the sick pain of regret.

" Why did I even bother to bring Spike Julia's message?" Faye wondered, frowning at the memory. " It wasn't any of my business to get involved with Spike's personal life anyway..." Making her way back to her room Faye flopped onto her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling, replaying their final conversation in her mind.

" That Spike... he was nothing but trouble." She muttered to herself, turning onto her side restlessly. Images of his face flashed in her mind... times when he was annoyed, or pensive, or bored. It amazed and annoyed her how easily she could remember his moods and expressions.

" He had a nice smile, though..." Faye whispered to her empty room. Spike's smile, his real smile, was so rarely seen. And she remembered how much she yearned to see it again when she had made the decision to return that fateful day. There had been the smallest hope that maybe things would get better... that he would always be around.

But things didn't work out the way she thought they would. Nothing ever did.

Faye sat up and her mattress creaked under her. " What a messed up life I live." She mumbled and reached for a pack of cigarettes, pulling a slender stick out and placing it between her lips. " I guess its a good thing we're looking for his body." Faye sighed to herself a moment before she lit up. ' That way I can finally put his memory to rest. Maybe... maybe that's the real reason why Jet's so determined to find him too.' She thought to herself, watching the cigarette smoke float up to the ceiling.

" I guess its a good thing I was at the train station today." She sighed.

All-in-all she had accomplished a lot in a very short period of time. And now that she was back home Faye realized that she felt better about the entire situation. She wasn't glad Spike ran off, and most likely got himself killed, but she was glad that things weren't any worse... because they could have been.

A sudden growling from her belly reminded her that she had not yet eaten dinner. So with a lazy stretch Faye stood up and headed for the common room.

" At least now I can have decent portions to eat." She muttered to herself in an attempt to lift her quickly dwindling spirit. Faye purposely avoided looking at that ugly yellow couch.

Upon opening the small refrigerator she found the meals Jet had prepared earlier. But instead of two plates, as she was expecting to find, there were three.

An unspoken hope was staring her in the face and the implication that the third plate would never be touched by the person it was intended for made her blood run cold.

Faye immediately slammed the refrigerator door and backed away as if burned. She blinked hard to clear her blurry vision and angrily wiped at the tears that managed to slip out.

Sometimes life didn't make sense. Sometimes it felt surreal... almost like a dream. But not always a nice dream. At least, that's how life felt to Faye as she decided to check out the cargo hold for non-perishables.

" Maybe something lighter than a full meal would be best."


	3. Rainy Day Favors

Disclaimer: Cowboy Bebop is the creative genius and property of Shinichiro Watanabe and Bandai. I write for the sheer thrill of messing with great characters. Any similarity to other fics is purely coincidental.

You are reading Cowboy Bebop: Life's An Improv by Sincerity

**Chapter 3**

Rainy Day Favors

_Spike? _

_Yeah?_

_Can I just ask you one thing?_

_What's that?_

_Is it for the girl?_

_She's dead. There's nothing I can do for her now._

The conversation was nothing more than a memory now. But he clearly remembered it was then that he knew the Red Dragons were looking to eliminate anyone else who meant anything to Spike. Jet had wondered what might have happened if he had been more careful at that damned bar. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten shot and then he might have been able to stop Spike... or be his back-up.

But sometimes life didn't make sense. Sometimes it felt surreal... almost like a dream. But not always a nice dream. At least, that's how Jet saw things when the Sword Fish II finally came into view. It stood amongst a crowd of abandoned aircrafts, silent and waiting. And as Jet clambered out of the tow vehicle, kicking up dirt when his boots hit ground, he paused.

For a heartsick moment he half expected to see Spike sitting under one of the ship's wings, puffing away on a cigarette waiting for him. Or sitting in the cockpit snoozing like a lazy cat on a sunny window sill.

But Spike was nowhere near the Sword Fish and the reality of the last few days hit Jet hard enough to make him grimace.

" That slug really did it this time."

And even though he knew what Spike had done was unavoidable it didn't lessen the grief that took hold even before Spike left the Bebop that last time.

And as Jet and an extra set of hands secured the Sword Fish it occurred to him, not for the first time, that Spike had done the right thing... just not in the right way. He had been impulsive and overconfident, reckless in the manner he chose to protect them by. And Jet idly wondered if that last act of recklessness would undo Faye as well.

Jet released a weary sigh. Faye was a whole other world of issues. She didn't understand why Spike had to do what he did. Then again, she never understood how truly dangerous and unmerciful syndicates could be. And trying to explain that to her would be a waste of his life. Faye did whatever she liked and thought with the same attitude.

But that day, after Spike left and her sobs subsided, something inside of her changed. Or at least... seemed to change. Jet scoffed at himself. Maybe he was just making up stuff that wasn't there... or maybe he just didn't get women, Faye included.

Taking a momentary break from his thoughts Jet wiped his brow with the back of his forearm. Despite the cool chill in the air he was getting warm and his blasted leg was already aching. He glanced up at the Sword Fish and squinted under the bright sunlight. The tow truck driver was busy securing hooks over the abandoned cabin bubble.

" Hey buddy!" Jet called out.

" Yeah?" The man hollered down over his shoulder.

" Did you say that Spi- MY ship was found on railroad tracks?"

" Not on! Beside railroad tracks! It was so close that the trains couldn't get by!"

" Sheesh." Jet mumbled to himself.

" You're lucky the thieves didn't crash your aircraft, ya know?" The tow driver continued as he hopped down from a wing. " That seems to be a favorite sport with them of late."

" You don't say." Jet replied with a frown, trying to understand why anyone would want to destroy other people's aircrafts for fun.

" Yep. Well, I think she's all set!" The man smiled.

Jet gave him a nod and headed back to his side of the vehicle, bracing himself as he hopped back inside. His leg was really making life difficult and the pain usually got worse when it was about to rain.

He glanced up at the sky through his opened window and saw heavy clouds gathering in the distance. " Figures." He mumbled. The rain was well on its way.

" Where to?" The tow driver asked once he slid behind the steering wheel.

" The docks." Jet directed.

" You got it."

The driver turned the ignition and released the brakes. A metallic squeal rang out as the heavy vehicle began its forward motion and Jet pulled out a cigarette.

" Hey, do you mind if I... ?" Jet raised the cigarette so the man could see what he was referring to.

" Nah, go ahead. My partner always smokes a few too."

With a nod of gratitude Jet lowered his window and lit up. His gaze settled on the road ahead and, after taking a moment to get comfortable, let his mind wander back through the past two weeks.

Because of low funds to begin with, the Bebop remained grounded on Mars. Its current address on the port just outside Tharsis city meant that there were docking fees to pay and minimal to no bounties available. So Jet and Faye resolved themselves to a more conventional means of making money... a take-out delivery man and a grocery cashier. Neither one enjoyed their work and freely admitted being " bored-as-hell," but it paid the bills and provided food. That was all that mattered at the moment.

And now that he hired a towing company to help bring home the Sword Fish, they would have one more bill to pay off. But Jet gladly accepted this one. He saw it as a personal favor for a comrade who was, very easily, the best friend he ever had.

" Look over there." The tow driver said, suddenly interrupting his thoughts. Jet looked through the windshield in the direction the man was pointing at.

" Those are the tracks where your aircraft was found."

" Huh." Was Jet's only remark as his eyes traveled all the way to the distant horizon where track and sky converged.

' I wonder what he was think'n when left Sword Fish there and walked all that way.' Jet mused.

A sudden vibration against his thigh startled him out of reverie and he quickly fished out the communicator from his pocket.

" Yeah?" He replied, his attention focused more on the road even when he wasn't doing the driving.

" Where did you stash the tuna cans?" Came Faye's voice over the comm.

" What? Why do you wanna know where I stashed tuna cans when I already prepared tonight's meal?" Jet could feel his patience dwindling. He wasn't interested in dealing with Faye's moods at the moment.

" I know, Jet. I'm just not hungry enough for a meal... a sandwich is plenty for me." Jet lowered his head and released a long-suffering sigh.

" Check in the cargo hold Faye." Came his reply, a bit more clipped than he had intended.

There was a long pause before she responded again. " I know they're in the cargo hold, Jet. What I want to know is _where_ in the cargo hold should I look."

Jet rubbed his eyes and thought for another moment that lasted too long for Faye. " Hey! Hellooo. Where should I look!"

" I _heard_ you already!"

" Then why don't you _answer_ already!"

" I set them by the door. Bottom left."

" oh." She replied, sounding disappointed.

" What?"

" They're really small cans."

" So?"

" Well... I'm a little more hungry than one tiny can."

Jet rolled his eyes and shook his head. " Then eat more than one can." Honestly, did he have to think for her on everything?

" I think I'll just nibble a little at my portion of the food you made instead." And with that Faye cut communication. Jet released an angry puff of air and laid his head back against the seat.

" Problems with the wife, huh?" The driver smirked good-naturedly. Jet blushed violently and gave him a sidelong glance before laying a hand over his eyes.

" She's not my wife. I just live with her." He replied and suddenly felt himself blushing again! This time at all the possible connotations that could be applied to his poor reply. And he briefly felt grateful that Spike wasn't present to hear his blunder. He would never hear the end of it.

Jet sighed. The pain in his thigh was throbbing and thinking about Spike was reminding him of everything that happened and was going to happen and it was all giving him a headache.

" Hey, do you mind waking me when we arrive? I'm gonna try and catch a few winks." He asked the driver.

" No problem. You just rest easy."

" Thanks." Jet mumbled, putting out his cigarette against the palm of his metal hand and tossing it out the window. He could already feel exhaustion pull at the corners of his consciousness.

Sun kissed images glittered in his mind like the sparkles of light on water, each one a personal memory he kept close to his heart. He traveled deeper in sleep, his mind leading him into the realm of fantasy. There happier days lived on. He could still share a smoke with Spike and joke about the stupidities of past bounty heads. And Spike would complain about his Bell Peppers and Beef even while he scarfed it down faster than lightning.

This dream was different though. He was looking for answers to what happened. And in his mind, as he and Spike shared a booth in some little-known bar, Jet realized that he was about to get them.

Spike stared at him for a long moment before stabbing his cigarette butt in the ash tray.

" I left with little explanation, Jet." He began.

" Yeah, you did." Jet nodded. " And I've always wondered why ever since. I mean... I think you did it to save Faye and myself. But then, when I really think about it I'm not sure. So you gotta tell me... why did you do it? Why didn't you just come out and say it? Didn't you trust me enough to keep a few secrets?"

Spike chuckled, his eyes twinkling the way they always did when he was genuinely amused.

" Come on, Jet! You know I trusted you."

" Then why did you keep your distance... why did you think that going it alone was the only way? I would have gone in with you."

Spike cocked an eyebrow and gave him a knowing smile. " Even with your leg all shot up?"

Jet frowned and slammed his fists on the table, effectively bouncing every item on top an inch into the air. " Again with my blasted leg! If I had known what was gonna happen I would'a been more careful!" He took in a deep breath and paused a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing, his demeanor much more subdued. " Look, all I'm trying to say is that It hurt to know you were determined to go alone even when the odds were one hundred percent that you wouldn't survive."

" Jet..." And Spike leaned forward, his gaze intent. " ... who said that I didn't survive?"

Something vibrated against his leg and Jet lowered his hand to swat it away. But after a moment the vibrating started again. Annoyed, he slapped at it and felt something hard dig into his thigh. Jet awoke with a jerk.

" Uhm, I think your communicator's going off." The driver pointed out, passing him a sympathetic glance.

Jet deftly pulled it out of his pocket with a frustrated growl. " What is it now Faye? Decided that you want take-out instead?" He didn't bother to hide the aggravation in his voice.

" Its Bob, Jet."

" Bob?" Jet frowned, the vestiges of sleep still fogging his mind. He decided to play along until he could remember if he knew a Bob or not.

" Oh, uhm, what's going on? Why are you contacting me?" But even as he spoke Jet felt a light bulb go off in his brain. Of course! Bob! Sheesh. He should lay off his nightly beer consumption at the bars. Or maybe it was all those damn cancer sticks he enjoyed so much... either way he was losing too many brain cells for his liking.

" You alright? You sound tired."

Jet shrugged even when Bob couldn't see him do it. " Yeah, yeah. I'm fine... just... been a long life, you know?"

A sudden loud and punctuated nasal sound indicated that Bob just snorted. " Yeah... I hear ya pal. Just gotta keep put'n one foot in front of the other. Know what I mean?"

Jet nodded and scratched an itch on his belly while trying to suppress a yawn.

" Anyway," Bob continued, " you still planning to go ahead with the plan tonight?"

Jet glanced at the driver who seemed oblivious to anything but the road ahead.

" Yeah. Faye and I want to get it done and over with as soon as possible."

" I understand. In that case its good I caught you."

" Why's that?"

" Do you have the proper ID tags?"

" We're working on how to get those."

" Which means you're planning to sneak in. Don't do it. It won't work. Security is up in all the morgues."

" What? Why?" Jet spared another glance at the driver who just took up whistling some unknown tune.

" I can't talk about it now." Jet strained to hear Bob's voice which had suddenly dropped to a harsh whisper. " Listen, I have access to the ID cards that will keep you guys invisible inside. Just let me know where you two are headed tonight and I'll make sure to meet you at the entrance."

" Bob! That's... that's fantastic! I owe you!"

" I know. I've got to go. " Bob replied in a hurry. " I'll wait to hear from you."

Jet listened to Bob's channel switch off. With a sigh he set his communicator down and stared out the windshield. The rain had begun in a light drizzle and he closed his window just as the full storm hit.

" Well, it was nice to see the sunlight while it lasted." The driver remarked. Jet nodded absent-mindedly. Spike had mentioned on a few occasions how much he hated the rain... and how he said nothing good ever happened when it rained. Jet released a weary sigh. He was already preparing for the worst case scenario... that he and Faye would find Spike's corpse that night.

And as much as he wanted to believe that Spike was still breathing somewhere, too stubborn to die, the scene of his last stand left little chance for hope. There was nothing left to do but move forward. Yeah, sometimes life didn't make sense. Sometimes it felt surreal... almost like a dream. But not always a nice dream. At least, that's how Jet saw things as he brought the Sword Fish back home without its pilot.


	4. Cops and Robbers part 1

Disclaimer: Cowboy Bebop is the creative genius and property of Shinichiro Watanabe and Bandai. Any similarity to other fics is purely coincidental.

You are reading " Cowboy Bebop: Life's An Improv" by Sincerity

**Chapter 4**

**Cops and Robbers ****part 1**

The world bled horizontal. Raindrops streaked against her window, street lights and buildings smeared behind them like an ill-timed snapshot by shaky hands. A shift of focus and she was staring at her reflection, solemn and silent.

" ... you okay?"

Faye turned her focus to Jet's reflection in the glass.

" Hm?"

He was watching the road but spared a second to cast a worried glance her way. " You suddenly got quiet. I was just wondering... "

" Yeah, Jet." She sighed. " I'm fine. Why?"

He shrugged.

" I mean..." She paused for a moment trying to collect her thoughts. " ... I don't know."

Jet frowned, his bushy eyebrows casting shadows over his eyes.

" What's going on, Faye?"

She sighed again, this time more agitated, and finally turned from the passenger window. " What I'm trying to say is why are we doing this?"

Jet glanced at her, his frown deepening with added confusion.

" What are you talking about? You know why we're doing this. We're looking for Spike."

" Yeah, I got that part." Faye scowled and bit back the rant itching to be spoken, poised at the front of her tongue. Taking a deep breath she waited until her frustration subsided. " What I really mean is... he wasn't in any of the hospitals we checked. He wasn't in the morgues we checked... and if he isn't in this one... "

A heavy silence settled then. The sound of the windshield wipers " whooshing" back and forth seemed amplified in the sound of nothing between them. The car slowed and they waited at a stop light. Jet gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter.

" What was that thing Spike would always say when he was about to face stupid odds?"

Faye looked at him, unable to recall much of anything the lanky man had said beyond their final conversation.

" ... Whatever happens, happens." Jet finally murmured.

Faye frowned. " So?"

" So, Faye, that's the attitude we should approach this with. We can't control what we don't know will or won't happen. So let's not lose hope before there's cause to." Jet turned to her then. " And if Spike isn't here then it means there's a good chance he's not dead."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Faye finally looked away, her eyes shifting to the front windshield and then down to her lap. She wanted to believe that Spike was alive but the hope seemed too impossible... too absurd like trying to believe in the tooth fairy or easter bunny or santa claus. Life didn't run on miracles, it ran on disappointing realities. Faye knew all about it and she was beginning to believe it was her curse to receive said disappointments in overdoses. Glancing back up at the windshield she spoke again.

" Green."

" Huh?"

" The light. Its green." She pointed to the street lights as Jet stared at her in-comprehensively.

" Oh!" He quickly turned his attention back to the road just as the driver behind them started flashing his headlights.

" Yeah, yeah. I'm going." He replied and glanced up at the rearview mirror. " ... he don't even move fast... bout the speed of a trawler."

" That reminds me." Faye spoke suddenly.

" Hm?"

" Are we in trouble, Jet?"

" What do you mean?"

" The notice slip you got... you know, the one saying we've been delinquent in docking payments..."

Jet gave her a hard look. Faye knew that look. It was the ISSP Black Dog look. She didn't like it. " Since when was it anybody's business to go through my mail?"

" It was just laying on the table right out in the open. Anyone passing by would have seen it."

Jet shifted in his seat. Faye recognized this action as him stewing in anger. " You go through my drawers and closet just because the door was unlocked, too?"

Faye rolled her eyes. " Come on Jet! Would you just... answer the question and quit being such a baby?"

Jet squirmed in his seat. Faye recognized that as him getting ready to share some bad news. " Look... the docking fees haven't been paid because they've risen. And between keeping up with utilities, food, ship maintenance, and travel on land expenses we either have to find a new place to sit the Bebop or let it get impounded."

Faye looked at him incredulously. She wouldn't have been the least surprised if her jaw was hanging too. " And when, exactly, were you planning to tell me all this? When we're forced to live on the streets?"

Jet turned a hard gaze to her, his grip on the steering wheel tightening again. " You haven't been exactly sympathetic to me or anyone else's problems since Spike left. So don't give me the, ' I would've helped if you had told me' crap!"

Faye huffed in indignation and folded her arms, turning from him to resume staring out her window. A tense silence settled between them and remained even as they pulled into the morgue parking lot.

The rain had stopped and left the air thick with humidity. As they approached the entrance Jet suddenly nodded to a man standing just outside the entrance. Faye didn't recognize him.

" Thanks again for doing this, Bob." Jet stated as a greeting. Faye studied Bob as he and Jet shook hands.

" Just paying back what I owe you." Bob replied in a nonchalant tone of voice. His eyes turned to Faye.

" Hello, Bob. I'm Faye." She flashed him her patented ' I'm so beautiful you can't touch this' smirk and watched with satisfaction as the man blushed.

" Uh... ahem! Hello, Faye. Good to meet you."

Jet glanced at her warningly. Faye just gave him a shrug and feigned innocence as Bob stepped ahead of them and led the way inside.

After a short distance from the entrance he stopped right before the sign-up desk, a window in the wall with sliding glass doors reminiscent of what one might see at a doctor's waiting room. Turning to them Bob pulled out two ID cards from an outer pocket of his trench-coat and handed one to each of them. Quietly Faye and Jet pinned them on.

" I'll talk with security. Once its safe I'll wave you guys on." He told them in a hushed voice.

" So... why so much security?" Jet asked while Bob decided to remove his trench-coat and drape it over one arm.

" Security is up in all the morgues because of threats over the past few weeks from rival syndicates who've stated they want to make examples of the Red Dragons... starting with their corpses." Faye frowned and she glanced at Jet who looked equally disturbed. Bob continued, checking his voice to make certain it wasn't overhead by anyone outside their small huddle. " That led to the surviving relatives of Red Dragon members to demand the bodies of their loved ones be protected. The government has no choice but to comply or risk opening a whole world of issues with the public."

" Like what?" Faye asked, disgusted with the whole mess.

" Issues like who has the right to ask for protection of loved ones, dead or not. Issues like not wanting any more crap to leak into the press who always have a knack for causing mass panic and hysteria."

" So the public doesn't know this has been going on for the past several weeks..." Jet stated trying to wrap his brain around the whole pathetic situation.

" Pretty much. And ISSP has direct orders from the Marsian government to keep things that way until this all blows over."

" How's that supposed to happen?" Jet asked sarcastically.

" Yeah... I know." Bob sighed.

The three stood in silence for a few moments letting the current events sink in before Bob broke their silence.

" Well... I guess you two better get going with your investigation. Just wait for my signal before you move cause if you guys get caught it'll be my badge."

" Don't worry, Bob. We'll be in and out before anyone notices." Jet reassured him.

Bob nodded and moved to the sign-in desk, leaning into the window a bit to look casual or bored or both.

" Hey guys. How are things at the night watch?" he began.

Jet and Faye waited a few feet back. Several of the security men started laughing and Bob lowered a hand so that it fell down beyond the view of security personnel. A moment later, during another burst of unanimous laughter, his hand waved at them.

" Let's go." Jet whispered and they hurried past, walking through one of the open double doors that lead to the inner corridors of the morgue.

After a quick raid of the utility room, dressing themselves in proper morgue attire, they stepped back into the hall and paused to make certain their com units were on the same frequencies.

" Hey Jet?" Faye ventured as she snapped her unit to the belt on her jeans hidden beneath loose scrubs. There was no way she was wearing her yellow spandex to a place like this.

" Yeah?"

" What about security tapes? Even if the security guys didn't see us the cameras did."

" Don't worry, Faye. Bob will take care of it. Right now let's just focus on what we came here to do."

" Okay." Faye nodded while Jet glanced at the directions on the wall and looked up and down the hall.

" Alright." he continued, " Contact me if you find anything or run into trouble."

" Yeah." Faye replied distractedly, pulling at the tie rope around the waist line of her scrubs. The darn things were too loose and she quickly worked at making a tight knot.

" See you in a little bit." Jet said in a hushed voice as he headed for the stairs that led down to the incinerator room.

Faye nodded to him and turned in the opposite direction, her destination... cold storage. The irony was not lost to her.

* * *

As Jet traveled down the stairs he could feel a definite rise in temperature... almost like standing uncomfortably close to a jet engine... or entering the pit of hell. Things began to feel more like the latter as he finally entered the main incinerating room. There were two incinerators and one was left open, a metal tray that he assumed carried the corpses sat waiting to be used at its mouth.

On the opposite side of the room were a few bodies, still covered by sheets and sporting ID tags that hung from their toes. Jet gulped. He hated this part... the not knowing but wondering if this was it. His once vibrant, obnoxious, and best friend could very well be one of the bodies laying just a few feet away.

" Come on Jet old man... this has to be done." And with a deep intake of breath he marched over to the corpses and began lifting the sheets to peek at the faces. It was bad enough to be disturbing the dead but it was even worse for him to realize that most of the bodies were young... kids really. He shook his head. " What's this universe coming to?..."

After checking and re-checking the corpses he stood back and gave the room a cursory glance. Spike wasn't there. It filled Jet with a confusing mix of emotions, the predominate of those being frustration. " Where are you?" he asked the empty room.

His gaze settled on the tips of his boots as he leaned against a wall and remembered the last moments he shared with " lunkhead." In the silence he could still hear Spike's laughter... it was always so disarming and genuine... welcoming one to join in. And he had... and they laughed like two kids having fun outside on a carefree summer evening.

Jet blinked hard to stop the sudden burning at the corners of his eyes. His fingers twitched, itching for a cigarette. But he reached for his com unit instead, switching it on and listening to the consequent crackle of airway frequency. " Faye?" he spoke after a moment.

There was a responding crackle and then, " Yeah?"

" You find anything?"

" No. You?"

Jet sighed heavily.

" I take it that's a no. But I still have to check one more room. And we've been lucky not to run into anybody working here, you know?"

At that, something in Jet's gut froze. " You mean you haven't heard or seen anybody? Not even passing by a room or something?"

There was another crackle of static, longer this time, as Faye fiddled with something on her com unit. " Sorry... just adjusting the volume here. Uhm... no. I haven't seen or heard anything. But that's a good thing cause if any of these bodies are planning to come back to life I'm gonna kill 'em right this time."

Jet couldn't help the smirk that played on his lips. " You telling me that Faye Valentine is creeped out by a few dead bodies?"

" I'm not scared!... " Jet had to pull the com away from his ear. And as if she could see his reaction Faye continued in a markedly quieter tone. " Would you stop ticking me off? Otherwise I might end up catching someone's attention here."

" Well I'm not the one shouting in the com, Faye." Jet replied, more amused than upset. He pushed away from the wall, glanced around the room again and suddenly spotted an ID tag on the floor not far from the second incinerator. Frowning, Jet stooped down to pick it up and as he did he noticed something else... blood droplets. He looked back at the bodies, all ID tags were accounted for. " ... so whose is this?..." he muttered to himself, gripping the tag more tightly and returned his attention to the blood. Getting up he followed their trail, passed the incinerators, around a sharp corner, into a small back room he hadn't noticed earlier, and directly to a growing pool of blood beneath a dead mortician.

Jet squatted, carefully avoiding the blood, and checked for a pulse with grim expectation. No pulse. Turning his attention back to the blood he noticed the smell... still sweetly pungent and only beginning to coagulate. The man wasn't dead for very long. Suddenly Jet was worried about Faye. Quickly he lifted his com to speak.

" Faye? Faye you there?"

" Yeah, Jet."

" Something's up." Jet replied as he compared the ID photo to the face before him. They were an exact match. " Listen. I need you to go to the staff office and check the computer files for any personnel with the name ' William Hershey.'"

" Jet, what's going on?"

" I think we might be in trouble."

" What do you mean? What kind of trouble?"

Jet stood up and pulled out his gun. " I just found a fresh body."

" Huh?"

" I just found a dead mortician lying in his own blood and I know he didn't get that way by doing his job." Jet replied, setting his com down on a chair while he double checked his gun and turned the safety off. Why anyone would want to kill a mortician was bugging him. Was the guy just in the wrong place at the wrong time? His com hissed and cracked a moment before Faye spoke again. " Alright. I found the staff office. But what if there's somebody in there? They'll be suspicious."

Jet made his way out of the back room and carefully turned the corner, his gun poised and ready. " Just... tell whomever that you transfered from out of town and this is your first night working here or somethin."

* * *

Faye glanced at the the small window on the door. It was impossible to make out anything through the marbled glass, so with a reluctant sigh, she carefully removed her ID card and swiped it in the card scanner. A little green light flashed and the door unlocked with a soft click. Stepping inside she breathed a sigh of relief. " No one here... that's good." After a quick scan of the room she headed to a computer screen at the far corner. Pulling out the swivel chair she sat down at the desk and stared at some color-changing, morphing ball that bounced around the black screen. She punched a random key to stop the screen saver and wasted no time pulling up the staff and personnel records. " Okay Jet. What was that name again?"

" William Hershey."

Faye set her com down and began to scroll through the list with a concentrated frown, quietly repeating the last name to herself. She was too engrossed in her search to notice a shadow approach the door and had no time to react as the card reader beeped and the door unlocked. Looking up she cursed under her breath and bit her lip. A man in his late thirties with red hair and a buzz cut looked at her in surprise.

" What are you doing?" he asked, bewilderment evident in his expression.

" I'm using the computer." she replied flatly.

" Who are you?" The man asked, becoming more bold when he realized they were alone.

" Well..." Faye quickly read his ID tag, " ... Reynolds. You see, I just... transfered here from out of town... " She winced internally, even to her own ears that excuse was lame.

" Faye? What's going o-" Jet's voice chose that moment to squawk over her com. She had forgotten it was still on and while she was distracted turning it off Reynolds closed the distance between them and snatched her ID, nearly ripping a hole in her uniform.

" Hey! What the hell!" She yelled in surprise.

" From out of town, huh?" He replied and stepped over to a com unit on the wall, pushing a button that opened a frequency. " We'll see about that. Security?"

Faye glared at him, one hand sneaking down to her Glock, tucked snugly between her jeans and her waist.

" Security come in!" He barely had time to finish his command when the com unit suddenly exploded in a short display of electrical sparks. " Ah!"

" Oops." Faye smirked and pointed the Glock at him.

" Oh, oh, oh... please!... d-don't!..."

Faye frowned at the pathetic attempt of submission Reynolds displayed, waving his hands in front him as if they would somehow deflect a flying bullet if she actually chose to fire. But then he stepped back towards the door. " Hey!" She barked in warning. " Don't even think about it."

" N-n-no... please!" Reynolds was losing it and before Faye could say anything else he whirled around, yanked the door open, and slipped out.

" Ah crap!" She yelped, sprinting for the door but not being able to reach it before the lock clicked. No amount of yanking or pulling made a difference. " Argh!!" She growled, slamming her hand against the marbled window, and finally gave up with a violent kick to the door. " Dammit!!" Turning back to the desk she ran her fingers against her scalp in frustration. " Great... just great." With a defeated sigh Faye returned to the computer and picked up her com unit. " Jet?... Jet!"

" Faye! What's going on?!"

" Someone walked in and found me on the computer."

" What? Faye! Why'd you let that happen?"

" Well excuse me for trying to find the information YOU want!" Faye squeezed her com, momentarily entertaining the thought of chucking it across the room and watching its little bitty electronic parts shatter into a thousand pieces when it hit the wall... or the floor.

" What's happening now?" Jet continued while Faye did a little dance of frustration. After getting that out of her system she whipped her head back, effectively swinging her hair out of her face, and took in a deep breath before replying.

" The guy locked me in the office with my ID card. I can't get out."

There was an audible sigh from the small speaker and then, " I'm coming. Just try to find out whatever you can 'til I get there."

" What if he comes back first? He must of gone for reinforcements, the little jerk." She didn't even bother to hide her vehemence.

" Just do whatever they tell you until I arrive."

Faye lifted her Glock and switched the safety on before tucking it back in its place at her waist. Blowing a sharp puff of air at a few stray hairs that were dangling in front of her eyes, she sat down again and continued her search through the list. " Coming here wasn't such a great idea." She muttered to herself. " Spike better appreciate what we're doing... wherever he is..."


	5. Cops and Robbers part 2

Disclaimer: Cowboy Bebop is the creative genius and property of Shinichiro Watanabe and Bandai. Any similarity to other fics is purely coincidental.

You are reading " Cowboy Bebop: Life's An Improv" by Sincerity

**Chapter 5**

**Cops and Robbers ****part 2**

" I knew it was a bad idea to bring her along... but did I listen to my instincts?..." Jet mumbled to himself as he hurried up the stairs and back into the main hall.

It was very quiet and the unsettling discontent in his gut was getting stronger. Reaching the double doors at the morgue's lobby he readied his gun and peeked around the corner. The door to the security office was slightly ajar and glancing at the morgue's entranceway, past the sliding glass doors, he could just make out the body of a van sitting at the entrance. Jet looked to the sign-up window and frowned, his brow wrinkling with concern. There was no one seated at the desk. " There was someone there earlier... probably just checking the van... " He muttered to himself.

Deciding to move on Jet pushed away from the wall and turned back to the hall. But his feet suddenly stopped mid-stride as his brain finally registered what his eyes already saw... the security cameras had been shot!

Turning back to the entrance he hustled to the security door and felt his adrenaline rise when he glimpsed a pair of legs laying awkwardly on the office floor. Pushing the door open a bit further Jet's vision was greeted by an alarming display of blood splatter on the walls and several men down. His eyes fell to one in particular... Bob!

* * *

Faye frowned, reaching the end of the personnel list. The name William Hershey wasn't there. Confused as to whether-or-not that was a good thing she reached for the com and froze. A shadow approached the door, pausing in front of the small window. Faye opened her mouth to say something impetuous, believing Jet to be on the other side, but her words died in her mouth as the handle began to jiggle and the entire door shuddered. Faye blinked in confusion her eyes squinting in growing impatients. " What the he-" Her curse was cut short when the marbled glass suddenly imploded, littering the floor with jagged shards. Alarmed, Faye ducked down below the desk and peeked around to see a black- gloved hand reach in and feel for the card scanner.

It was in that moment that Faye realized whomever was on the other side was definitely not Jet. He had an ID card. Faye turned off her communicator and considered taking out her Glock.

" Ugh!... where's Spike when you need him?... " she muttered to herself.

Glancing back at the door she watched from her hiding place, huddled behind the desk, as a gloved hand placed a small EMT charge on the card scanner and connected a wire so that it snaked out the window into the hall.

' ... whoever it is, they're gonna get in here...' Faye thought anxiously and looked down, trying to think of what to do. At a loss she glanced around and did a double take when she suddenly noticed an air vent on the wall directly behind her and close to the floor. Wasting no time she scuttled over and managed to dislodge the grate with deft fingers.

Climbing inside with ease Faye pulled the grate back into place just as a pair of dark pant legs walked into view and directly for the computer. Slowly and carefully she backed away, traveling deeper into the vent, passing two large fans that blew her hair into her face, and straight to another grate where she could see into a dark room. There were no lights on but the darkness was diminished by the light from the outer hall. The room's door was left open. After making certain the coast was clear, Faye removed the grate and crawled out onto the linoleum floor... and straight onto something warm and sticky.

" Ugh! What is this?" She wondered out-loud, disgusted at all the things she might have crawled into. Quickly glancing down she tried to see what was wet but with the dim light it was difficult to tell. Looking back at the wall she emerged from, Faye could see many square doors... like file cabinets or a bank's inner vault. But these compartments were much bigger, capable of holding more than just files or precious trinkets... more like... bodies.

" Of course. Of all the rooms I would escape to it would be the autopsy room." She whined. Her miserable assumption only confirmed as her eyes began to adjust to the darkness and two autopsy tables coalesced from the mass blob of darkness on the other end of the room.

And then she looked to her right, her eyes widening in surprise. There on the floor, softly illuminated by the hallway light, was the silhouette of a man. Faye gasped and recoiled, bumping up against the wall. She stared, her eyes studying his collapsed figure. A dark, liquid substance was oozing towards the grate she had just exited, gathering in a small dip in the floor. Reluctantly she lifted her hands to see her palms covered in red. Utterly disgusted and horrified Faye jumped to her feet, her first instinct being to wipe her hands on her jeans. But then she spotted a sink against the wall near the door.

Too anxious to clean up she miscalculated how big the mess was and nearly slipped on the bloodied floor. " crap!" She gasped and began to move in slow deliberate steps. Taking greater care she finally made her way to the sink and quickly washed her hands, scrubbing soap onto her skin as if the action could also erase what had just been discovered.

" Come on Faye... get a grip. Its just some poor, dead guy. Its not like there's anything you can do about it... its not like he's gonna wake up." But no sooner did the words leave her lips when a moan from behind rocked her world.

Startled to the highest level of heaven Faye literally jumped off the floor and whirled around so fast that she nearly knocked the soap off the counter. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears and feel her throat constrict so that the only sound she could utter was a strangled

" gah."

Faye stared at the body in disbelief. It didn't appear to have moved... she could feel goose-bumps form up and down her arms, all her senses on alert. And then... he moaned again!

Cursing under her breath she quickly snatched a roll of paper towels and hurried to his side. The man opened heavy eyelids and looked at her without really seeing. He was in shock and Faye bit her lip as she lifted his shirt. With grim determination she carefully dabbed at the bloody wetness until she discovered a bullet hole just under his right ribs. The man moaned again as she pressed a few paper towels to the wound.

" Shhh. You've been shot." She explained in a quiet whisper. " These should help slow down the bleeding but I have to go get help, okay?" The man closed his eyes, his breathing labored. Faye watched him for a moment before realizing that he was unconscious again. " What the heck is going on around here anyway?" She muttered to herself and glanced up at the door. Everything was quiet. No sign of trouble seemed forthcoming.

Carefully, Faye approached the doorway and peeked into the hall. Empty both ways. " Well," Faye whispered to herself while pulling out her trusty Glock. " No time better than the present." With a final glance back at the victim Faye ducked into the hall, keeping close to the wall and switching off the safety on her gun.

She headed back for the security office figuring that there would be safety in numbers... especially when each number had a gun. Turning a corner Faye felt a jolt of adrenaline rush up her spine and smack her brains right behind the forehead. Laying at her feet, in an ungraceful heap, was Reynolds. The red-headed mortician never made it to the security office as he so desperately attempted to do a little while earlier. Faye frowned as she took in his wide, frightened eyes and the bullet hole between them.

" Well crap." Was her only reaction.

Suddenly worried for Jet Faye hurried on, the double doors just a bit further down the hall.

* * *

Jet blinked disbelievingly. The security personnel had been ambushed, that much was clear... but why? He quickly moved to check on Bob who was slumped against the wall in an uncomfortable position with his chin resting on his right shoulder. Jet reached for a pulse and waited... an eternity passed in the meanwhile, and then he felt it. Hope. There was a rhythm and it was steady. Jet wiped the sweat from his brow, not having realized how anxious he was until that moment. The next step was to check on the others but after a brief inspection of their injuries he knew the prognosis was final.

Deciding to check on the severity of Bob's wounds he returned to his side and prayed he could slow down any blood loss till help arrived. But there was so much blood all over the place that it was hard to figure where it was all coming from. Jet glanced up at the phone... he'd have to call for help. And then he noticed Bob's gun sitting on the floor nearby. He picked it up and checked the cartridge. No rounds were missing. Bob hadn't even had time to fire.

The hairs on the back of Jet's neck suddenly stood on end as a shadow stepped up behind him. He had no time to react as he felt the cold point of a gun barrel pressed hard against his back. He closed his eyes... there was no escape this time. And he suddenly remembered Faye, a wave of guilt sweeping over him, she had lost Spike and now him too.

But suddenly, the tense silence was broken by a confident voice.

* * *

" Hey buster!" Faye shouted, her Glock aimed towards the bastard with a gun. The gunman looked over his shoulder at Faye, startled by her sudden appearance. " Point that thing somewhere else." She smirked.

Jet, shocked and relieved to hear Faye's voice, opened his eyes and blinked in surprise to see Bob conscious and lucid. He motioned for his gun with a slight nod of his chin and Jet carefully drew it closer.

" How 'bout I point it at you." The gunman replied in a scratchy voice and turned his weapon on her.

Bob snagged the gun from Jet's grasp. The gunman looked back at him, sensing movement. Jet ducked and the gunman whipped his gun back in Bob's direction.

One gunshot cracked the air, loud as a thunder bolt in the stillness of silence.

Faye blinked as the gunman suddenly jerked, blood blooming in a gruesome spurt from his neck. She felt her grip loosen, white knuckles regaining color, as he fell to the floor in a heap. His gun skidded across the linoleum, hitting the wall with a clatter, and Faye lowered her gun with a relieved sigh. " Next time I should stay near the doors or.. something for cover." She muttered to herself.

Turning back to the security office she took a step forward and froze. Standing at the entrance of the morgue, just beyond the sliding glass doors, was a man. He was staring at her, his stance tense. Confused as to whom he might be Faye quickly looked for his hands and found them at his sides dressed in black gloves.

Faye looked back at the gunman on the floor... no gloves. Realization hit her full force then and she looked back at the entrance reluctantly. The man had taken advantage of her momentary confusion and leveled a sawed-off shotgun in her direction.


	6. Cops and Robbers part 3

Disclaimer: Cowboy Bebop is the creative genius and property of Shinichiro Watanabe and Bandai. Any similarity to other fics is purely coincidental.

You are reading " Cowboy Bebop: Life's An Improv" by Sincerity

**Chapter 6**

**Cops and Robbers ****part 3**

Faye gulped involuntarily, her whole body tense. Across from her danger smirked, his eyes glinting as he pressed the triger. Without a second thought she dove for cover through security's open door. In the same moment the boom of the sawed-off shotgun shattered the front glass doors, splintered wood on the office door, and cracked concrete wall at the end of the lobby.

" Faye! You okay?!" Jet asked in alarm as he helped her inside the crowded security office.

" Holy crap, Jet! What's going on? A war?!" Faye gasped as she took in the bloody mayhem displayed on the walls and floor.

" Beginning to look like it." Jet muttered.

" Its the Black Serpents." Bob explained, his voice gruff.

" You mean the syndicate that threatened the Red Dragons." Jet replied with wide-eyed realization. Bob nodded.

" If you ask me this whole universe is going to pot." Faye muttered and peeked around the door frame, recoiling a moment later when part of the door exploded, splintering and tearing into itself from another blast of the shotgun. " Ah!" She yelped.

" Jeez, Faye! Watch your head!" Jet shouted as she moved over to the sign-up window and raised her gun in the direction of the morgue entrance. Jet followed suit, understanding her intent, and fired a few rounds at the shooter. Pulling their hands back down, guns smoking, they waited. Faye slammed a new mag into her gun and glanced at Bob who rested his weapon on his lap. The three glanced at each other.

" He might come in here, Jet." Faye warned.

" I know." He replied and looked pointedly at Bob. " You think you can handle a little more stress?"

Bob smirked. " I work in the ISSP."

" Yeah." Jet replied with a knowing smile. Turning back to Faye he motioned up with a pointed finger and began to count down; four fingers, three, two... As they prepared to fire again the sound of squealing tires suddenly reached their ears.

Faye popped up just in time to see a van take off. " Jet!"

Immediately he stood beside her. " Think we scared him off?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck and taking in all the damage.

" There's a man in the autopsy room who needs help." Faye replied before dashing out into the lobby.

" Faye! What are you doing?" He called out as she headed for the entrance. " No! Faye, its too dangerous!" But his warning fell on deaf ears as she sprinted outside, crunching glass beneath her boots along the way.

Jet rushed out into the lobby just in time to see her take their rented car and speed after the van. " Ah, dammit!" He growled in frustration, placing both hands on top of his bald head. Taking in a deep breath he turned back to the security office and spotted Bob sitting up.

" Hey, you shouldn't be moving right now." Jet warned as he hurried over and squatted down beside him. " We haven't determined where your wounds are yet."

Bob opened his shirt to reveal a bullet-proof vest. Jet looked at him with a half amused, half confused expression. " You were expecting trouble?"

Bob shrugged. " I always wear one to work... just forgot to take it off before coming here."

" Its a good thing you didn't." Jet replied, relief evident in his voice.

" Listen, don't worry 'bout me. I'm alright. You better go after Faye. Here." Bob pulled out a key from his back pocket. " Take my car. I'll call for help and check the other victim. " He handed the key to Jet who took it with a grateful nod before jumping to his feet and sprinting outside.

* * *

The rain had ended but the air still felt heavy and oppressive, as if needing to empty itself out again. Faye found it to be suffocating inside the rented car and had rolled down the windows, too preoccupied with catching up to the van to meddle with air conditioning buttons. Sometimes the old-fashioned ways were better. Faye did, however, bother to put on her seatbelt... after she took a sharp turn too fast and bumped up against the driver-side door. 

Night had fallen quickly and the roads were still slick with rainwater, seeming more like some avant-garde painting of twisted, techni-colored rainbows then actual asphalt. In this world she had full reign of the roads... hardly any other vehicle came into sight and she didn't bother to heed the red lights. " No cops, no problem." She muttered to herself and nearly had a heart-attack when some random vehicle squealed its breaks at an intersection. " Where the heck did that come from?" She wondered with aggravation.

Zooming up to the fifth light she began to ease off the gas when she spotted the van waiting for the light to change. " Ha!" She exclaimed triumphantly. " Thought you were safe, huh?"

Coming to a stop on the left-hand turning lane she looked over at the driver and honked her horn. He looked over and did a double-take. Faye smiled and lifted her Glock to his face. To her surprise a second head leaned forward from behind his right shoulder to get a better look. There were two in the van! And Faye hardly had time to duck when the head was swiftly accompanied by a gun aimed in her direction.

The proceeding shots shattered both passenger and driver side windows, set off the passenger side air bag, and ricocheted off her seatbelt buckle into the floor a few centimeters from her foot. " Crap!" She yelped and fired a few responses back while shifting into reverse and stomping on the gas.

One of the bullets still managed to crack the windshield. Faye swerved to the right and managed to maneuver the car directly behind the van. " Stupid!" She chastised herself, frowning at the van's tail lights through the spider cracked windshield. The van wasted no time running the light and Faye growled, having to wait for a truck to pass by before pursuing.

* * *

" How is it that I always get left behind?!" Jet yelled at no one in particular, one eye on the road and the other on the dashboard controls. He fiddled a moment with the siren before finding the CV. " Damn girl is gonna be the death of me... I just know it." He muttered as he narrowly missed a taxi. " Outta the way, mac! Can't you hear the damn sirens?!" He shouted while speeding by. " ... sheesh... some morons..." 

Finding the power button he turned on the CV in hopes of hearing any news on where the van might be. He was both pleased and disturbed with how easily he fell back into ISSP mode, the training and experience dictating his split-second thinking. Deciding to leave the CV on he grabbed his communicator and hailed Faye. For several moments only the sound of static greeted his ears.

" Come on, Faye! Answer your com!"

Somewhere after running the third light he heard a shift in the static and then, " What?!"

" Faye! Where the hell are ya?! What's going on?" The sound of screeching tires and loud crackling pops came through the com and he instantly recognized them as gun shots. " Faye!"

" A little BUSY right now!" She replied in a hurry.

* * *

Faye dropped her com and snatched her Glock, nestled between her thighs. " Take that!" She exclaimed, exchanging gun fire with the two bounties in the van. The van suddenly lurched to the right and rammed into the driver's side of her car with the high screech of grinding metal. " Dammit!" She yelled, fighting for control of the steering wheel and veering to the left. " You want to play that way? Fine. What goes around comes around..." She muttered, taking her Glock and blindly shooting up at the van's passenger window. The surprised yelp that reached her ears made her smile. 

The van broke off only to ram her again. Glass shattered and shards pricked the skin on her arm, marring its flawless texture. This time Faye nearly ran off the road. " You jerks!!" She shrieked out her window and narrowly missed crashing into a planted tree on the sidewalk. She was briefly grateful it was night and not day... less chances of innocent casualties. " Ooh... there will be casualties before this ride is over..." She promised herself, imagining how she would put an end to the two low-lifes in the van. " Marring my skin... don't they know how much work it takes to maintain my level of beauty?!"

Faye was quick to return to the road and rammed up against the van again with so much impact that it shattered all the driver side windows. The driver pulled out his gun but Faye was ready and slammed on her breaks. The driver looked up at his rearview mirror trying to spot her. Faye aimed through the hole in her windshield and fired, blasting the rearview mirror and startling both driver and passenger in the van.

" I'll get her this time." The passenger gunman growled while crawling over to the van's back doors.

Faye released her empty mag and fished around in her pockets for the last one. " Ah ha!" She exclaimed with a triumphant shout, her fingers finding and pulling it out. But there was little time to celebrate as she saw the van's back doors fly open. The passenger gunman squatted, aimed, and fired two rounds with the sawed-off shotgun.

" Whoa!" She exclaimed, veering off to the right and ducking below the steering wheel, flooring on the gas pedal and coming up to the empty passenger-side door. " Good thing he's a bad shooter!" She mused out-loud, blowing hair out of her face.

* * *

The sound of sirens disrupted the silence of the morgue's halls and Bob rushed into the main lobby as ISSP officers and medical personnel rushed in. " There's a man in the autopsy that needs immediate help!" He shouted urgently. Two paramedics gave him quick nods and hurried past. Turning around Bob grabbed hold of a senior officer's arm. The man was tall and balding with a bushy mustache that needed trimming. 

" Tom, there's nothing that can be done for the guys in the security office. Its a crime scene now." Tom nodded grimly and suddenly turned to call out orders to a group of young recruits approaching the office.

" No one touches anything in the security office till the crime unit arrives!" He hardly finished his sentence before hurrying over and pushing a few, who had already entered and exited, off into the direction of the hall. " Damn rookies."

" Hey Bob! You hurt?" He asked suddenly noticing Bob's blood-covered attire.

" No! But I need to ask you for a favor."

" Yeah?"

" I need to use your CV. The mooks who did this are getting away and a former officer is in pursuit."

" No problem!" Tom fished around in his pocket for a moment and then tossed him his keys. Bob nodded his thanks and sprinted outside, dodging around stretchers and paramedics in his way. " Let me know what you find out!" Tom called out after him.

* * *

" Faye, where are you?!" Jet barked into his com, aggravation oozing into every word. 

" I'm near the river... heading for Kingston Bridge." Came her static reply.

Jet slammed on the breaks and took a sharp right. Realizing that he wasn't certain which roads would take him to the bridge he turned on the MNS and frowned. " Come on you stupid piece of junk!" He yelled and slammed on the dashboard a few times before it finally came to life.

A woman's voice, cool and collected, began a recorded message. " Thank you for choosing MNS as your choice in up-to-date navigation. Where would you like to go?"

" S'bout time!" Jet shouted at the bodiless voice. " Damn Mars Navigation Systems..."

" I'm sorry. Please speak louder."

Jet growled and took a sharp left finding himself back on the main road. " Take me to Kingston Bridge!"

" Go straight for two blocks. At the second light turn right."

Jet found that the blocks passed by quickly when doing eighty something in a forty mile zone. He nearly missed the right-hand turn.

" Turn right here."

" Yeah, I know." He snapped back.

Seeing a dead end he took note of two roads going in opposite directions and glanced at the MNS. The dead end was coming up fast now.

" Hello!" He barked at the system.

" Go left followed by an immediate right. At the stop turn right again."

Jet veered to the left and turned right, stopping only briefly at the stop sign before taking the second right. " Never gonna get there before her... " He muttered to himself, shaking his head with frustration. " Too many stops on the way! Give me directions with no stop signs!" He commanded.

" Return to Main Street at the following light and turn left."

Jet complied and felt a strange sense of dread like a heavy weight settle in his gut. Things were going to end badly if he kept zigzagging all over town. " Give me the fastest route to Kingston Bridge!"

" Take the next right and continue until Franklin Avenue. Turn left."

Jet gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white. He slammed on the breaks at another stop sign and glanced ahead to count at least two more.

" Dammit!"

Suddenly the static of the CV is interrupted by a familiar voice. " Jet! Jet you there?"

" Bob?!" Jet snatches the CV com. " Bob! I'm here!"

" What's happening?"

" I'm trying to reach Kingston Bridge but the damn MNS keeps taking me through shortcuts with more stop signs than road!"

" Don't use that thing. Its crap." Bob replied.

" Thanks for the warning." Jet muttered to himself, coming to a halt at the third stop sign and noting the street name. ' Franklin Avenue.'

" Where are you now?"

" Just stopped at Franklin Avenue."

" Okay. Turn left and at the next stop turn right. That'll get you back on Main Street."

Jet took the left in a hurry, paused at a stop sign long enough to glance left, and took the right-hand turn so fast that he burned rubber.

Bob's directions continued. " Stay on Main Street until you see the St. Anne's Cathedral. Big building with lots of gothic architecture. Can't miss it. Turn right at that corner and floor it. That street will take you directly to Blue River Road where you take a left. It'll run alongside the river and take you directly to Kingston Bridge."

" You're a lifesaver, Bob." Jet smirked into the CV com.

" Yeah, yeah. Just trying to lend a hand."

" And making sure I don't kill your car, right?"

" Well... that might play a small part in my motivations."

" Don't worry. I'll bring your car back in one piece." Jet promised. " I hope." He muttered to himself, taking a sharp right at the cathedral.

" I'm more concerned about your partner right now."

" She's tough, Bob. I'm sure she's being careful."

* * *

" Hold still you stupid driver!" Faye shouted hanging half way out her window with the Glock aimed up, almost through the van's passenger window, whilst trying to drive with her left hand. 

" They're just bullets!"

* * *

Jet turned onto Blue River Road and spotted the van and Faye... hanging half-way out her window with her gun pointed in the van's passenger window. 

Blinking hard Jet looked again and saw that both vehicles were in bad shape. Broken windows, dents and pings, hanging bumpers, and one of the van's tires looked ready to fall off. Jet reached for his com.

" Faye! Faye! What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?!"

Faye pulled back into the car and he could see her reach for something.

" Jet! I told you I've got this!"

" Faye! You were hanging outside your window!" He could see Faye whip her head around to glance back. In the same moment he spotted a man squat down in the back of the van and aim a gun at him. Without thinking twice Jet swerved to the right and pulled out his weapon, firing two well-aimed shots at the man's gun. With a yelp and a wild shake of his hands the man ducked back inside.

" Jet?!"

" I'm alright."

" I think they're trying to get to the bridge." Faye yelled into her com trying to be heard over the roar of the wind passing through her broken windows.

" What's on the other side that they want over so bad?" Jet asked, looking across the river and seeing more city skyline.

The CV com crackled with static a moment before Bob's voice came through.

" Jet! If the lowlifes make it to the bridge they're as good as gone! ISSP holds no jurisdiction on the other side. That territory belongs to the syndicates!"

" What?!" Jet barks back in astonishment. " When did this happen?!"

" Long story that doesn't matter anymore. Point is, those are syndicates and crime lords living on the other side. They have corrupt people in government and military issued weaponry! We can't compete with that!"

" Does nothing ever get better?!" Jet complained. " I'm beginning to wonder why ISSP even exists!" He dropped the CV com and snatched up his own while Faye slowed down enough to fall behind the van and ride up to the left of Bob's car. Jet glanced at her through the window and motioned to his com. Faye nodded and reached for hers.

" Faye!"

" Yeah?"

" We're gonna have to stop these guys before the bridge. But if we can't do it in time then let em go."

" But Jet-"

" No you listen Faye! Bob says ISSP has no presence on the other side. They can't even set foot there without getting killed! So don't you go and try to be a hero! Got it?"

" So what do you suggest? We just hang back and see if they run out of gas?"

Jet shook his head. " Cute. I was thinking that we force them off the road."

" I'm listening."

Jet hit the gas and got up close to the tail end of the van. " I'll stay on the left. You shoot out their right tires and I'll ram them."

" Sounds good to me." Faye replied, setting her com down and speeding up to the van's right tail light. Grabbing her Glock Faye leaned out her window, trying to get a steady sight on the rear tire.

" In order for this to work you gotta shoot out the front tire first. That way, when the driver loses control he's more likely to swerve right instead of left. But you've got to be careful, Faye! You really have to slam on your breaks before trying to take out the back tire. Otherwise you'll get caught in a bad place. Understand?"

" Alright already, DAD! Let's just get this over with! I want a warm soak in the bathtub because I'm tired and I broke a nail!"

" Sheesh." Jet smirked. " ... such a girl..."

The CV com crackled to life again. " Be careful, Jet. ISSP is heading out to you guys now. I'll catch up with you two later."

" Thanks Bob!" Jet replied before grabbing his com again.

" You ready, Faye?"

" Yeah! Just trying to dodge bullets, hang out my window, and shoot out the front tire! You know... be Wonder Woman!"

" Huh?!"

* * *

" Never mind!" Faye shouted back and dropped her com as she returned fire to the passenger gunman a moment before the van tried to ram her. 

" Don't get too close, Faye! Remember you need to back off quick once you shoot out the tire!"

Faye fired two shots in the general direction of the driver before taking a lucky shot at the front tire. But she wasn't ready for the passenger gunman to shoot through his own door with the sawed-off shotgun! The rounds made a direct hit to her front tire as the van swerved out of control and to the right.

" Faye! Hit the breaks!" Jet shouted, unable to do much until he saw her vehicle behind the van. " Faye!"

Faye tried to regain control of the steering wheel but her tire took that moment to explode. Realizing in those split seconds that her situation was a lost cause Faye shot blindly at the van's rear tire, successfully robbing the driver's hopes for a successful get-a-away.

" Got ya!" She breathed as the van suddenly lurched to the right. In the next moment it lost its rear tire, rammed into Faye's vehicle, and sent them both tumbling off the road, through the guardrail, and into the river below with a resounding splash!

* * *

" Faye!!" Jet shouted in horror as he sped to the spot where the vehicles fell. Jumping out of the car he didn't even bother to turn it off. 

" Faye!!" Jet hollered and prepared to dive in after her. But just then he saw two heads break the surface. One was Faye and the other was either the shooter or the driver. Jet couldn't tell which one from his vantage point.

Getting back in the car Jet shifted in reverse and then to drive, speeding down the river's bank to meet up with Faye and hopefully help her get out. " Hold on Faye. I'm coming." He murmured, keeping one eye on her and the other ahead of himself.

* * *

The water was cold and Faye looked about in momentary panic. The night made it difficult to see the river banks and its current was strong. She gave herself a few moments to regroup her thoughts and tried to figure out from which direction her vehicle entered the water. Looking at one of her hands she gave a small laugh. She was still clinging to her Glock. " At least I didn't lose everything." She sighed and decided to start swimming in a random direction. But something suddenly bumped up against her legs in the process. 

" Ah!" She yelped and tried to back away only to bump into something else. Turning around she noticed a long, black bag. A body bag! The night made the waters dark and the black color of the body bag was momentarily camouflaged from her sight. She looked around again and finally spotted the back of the van just sinking below the surface. The back doors were wide open and body bags floated out everywhere.

Glancing around she suddenly noticed something else moving around in the water, against the current. " Hello?" She called out.

Just then two beams of light shone across the watery surface and Faye looked to their source.

" Jet." She breathed. He had stopped along the river bank and was shining the headlights on the water.

" Faye!" She heard him call out to her, his voice sounding abnormally small across the waters.

" I'm here! I'm alright!" She called back as loud as she could and waved one arm at him. He waved back with both arms. Faye almost laughed with relief. But suddenly she felt hands take hold of her shoulders and push her underwater. Caught off guard, Faye struggled to remove the hands which had shifted to the top of her head.

Desperate for air Faye shifted in the water and wrapped her legs around her assaulter's hips, heaving down with all her might. Her hands clawed for the material of his shirt but it was no use. Suddenly, she heard a distant gunshot, felt the man jerk, and heard him yelp in pain. His hold on her was compromised and Faye took those seconds to break the surface and swallow big gulps of air. The man was less than a foot away and held his left shoulder. He stared at her a second before trying to swim away. But Faye was ticked and smacked the back of his head with the butt of her Glock making certain his face was above water as he passed out.

" I'd rather see you drown, you rat!" She muttered to his unconscious form. " But a dead bounty won't bring in the woolongs." And in that moment she could sympathize with how Spike occasionally felt about some bounties they'd caught in the past. Glancing back to shore she could see more headlights and sirens gathering. Jet was still there and waved to her again. Faye shifted the bounty's head to her left arm and prepared to swim for shore when she suddenly noticed a tuft of green hair peeking out from one of the body bags. It had floated directly into one of the headlight beams.

Her heart nearly stopped at the sight. But despite her reluctance she found herself swimming over to the corpse and carefully turning it over. And after taking a deep breath she looked down. In the clarity of the headlights she could see that the face did not belong to Spike. With a whimper that fell somewhere between relief and frustration she let go and watched the corpse float with the current until it disappeared beyond the headlight beams.

* * *


End file.
